How can I register as a SANE Forums member?
To become a SANE Forums member:
- at the top of any Forums page, click ‘Register’
- enter an anonymous username and your personal details
- agree to the terms and conditions and click ‘Register’
- click the link in the email you receive to validate your email address.
How can I post a response in a discussion?
You can join a SANE Forums discussion any time. All you have to do is find a discussion you like and reply to a post in it.
A good length for a post is up to 200–300 words, or 1–4 paragraphs. Shorter is fine, but longer posts don’t tend to get as many replies.
Be as clear as you can about why you’re posting. If you need advice about a particular issue, make sure you ask specific questions. Or if you’re just sharing your thoughts, it can be helpful to say so.
It’s also a good idea to read the Community guidelines before your first post.
To add to a discussion:
- make sure you’re logged in
- choose the post you’d like to reply to
- click ‘Quick reply’ to see a little box you can use when your reply is short, or
- click ‘Reply’ for a bigger text box with more options, for a longer reply
- click ‘Post’ when you’re done.
How can I edit one of my posts?
To edit one of your posts:
- make sure you’re logged in on a tablet or desktop computer
- find the post you wish to edit
- under the title of the post, click ‘Edit’
- edit your post and click ‘post’ when you’re finished.
How can I delete one of my posts?
To delete one of your posts:
- make sure you’re logged in on a tablet or desktop computer
- find the post you wish to delete
- under the title of the post, click ‘Request Removal’
- fill in the form asking for information about the post. Be sure to include the URL of your post.
Your request will be sent to the team. Moderators will respond to your request as soon as possible, but there could be a delay, especially outside of business hours. If your need is urgent, edit your post and remove its contents.
How can I start a new discussion?
You can start a new discussion on the SANE Forums.
Before you start a new discussion, look through the Forums to see if the subject you want to talk about is already there. If it is, you can add to that discussion and get the benefit of everyone’s contributions. It’s okay to enter a discussion after it’s started.
To start a new discussion:
- make sure you’re logged in
- enter either the Carers or Lived Experience Forum
- choose the Discussion Topic you think your discussion belongs to
- click the ‘New discussion’ button with the speech bubble
- In the subject line, choose a title that clearly states what the discussion is about or what you would like assistance with. This increases the likelihood of relevant responses.
- It’s useful to write a short post, about 200 – 300 words, or anything up to 1 – 4 paragraphs
- Finish your post with a clear question or statement that people can respond to.
- Click ‘post’
How can I change my profile pic?
To change your profile pic:
- make sure you’re logged in on the desktop or tablet version of the Forums
- go to your profile by clicking on your username near the top right corner of the screen
- click 'edit my settings' in the blue box
- click 'Profile pictures'
- choose from our collections or click ‘Upload a profile picture’ to use your own.
How can I change my personal information?
To change your personal information:
- make sure you’re logged in on the desktop or tablet version of the Forums
- go to your profile by clicking on your username near the top right corner of the screen
- click 'edit my settings' in the blue box
- select ‘Personal Information’
- use the tabs underneath to find and change your information
- select ‘Save’.
How can I change the notifications I get?
To change your notifications settings:
- make sure you’re logged in on the desktop or tablet version of the Forums
- go to your profile by clicking on your username near the top right corner of the screen
- click 'edit my settings' in the blue box
- select ‘Subscriptions & notifications’
- select ‘Notification settings’
- change your settings
- select ‘Save’.
What if I forget my username or password?
If you forget your username or password:
- click ‘Login’ at the top right of the screen
- click ‘Forgot username or password?'
- enter the email address you used to register and you’ll receive an email to reset your password.
How can I find discussions?
There are three ways to find discussions you might like:
- by searching: start typing and results will start appearing
- by filtering: on a topic page, click ‘Show filter’ just below the search bar and choose a category to narrow down what you see
- by browsing: on the Lived experience and Carers Forum home pages, click a topic and scroll through the discussions there.
Moderation
All posts go live straight away, however a moderator will review them, to keep things safe, respectful and welcoming for everyone.
Moderators will contact you privately if you need to change anything before the post or discussion can go live.
How do I edit my post if a moderator removed it?
If you are asked to edit a post that a moderator has removed you can resubmit your post through your profile:
- make sure you’re logged in on the desktop or tablet version of the Forums
- go to your profile by clicking on your username near the top right corner of the screen
- find your post by scrolling down your profile until you see on the right hand side a grey box called "My Items Awaiting Moderation"
- click on the picture of the speech bubble
- click on the "My Rejected Items" tab and your post can be found & edited.
How can I include other Forum members in my post?
When you write a post, you can include other members’ usernames to include them in the discussion:
If you are using the desktop or tablet version of the forums:
- type @ then start typing a username — you’ll see a list of suggested usernames
- select one and you’ll see it linked in your post.
You can add more usernames the same way. The member will receive an email notification letting them know they have been mentioned in your post.
This function isn’t available in ‘Quick reply’ or if you are using the mobile version. You can still @mention people by using the @ symbol followed by the member’s full username (please note, you must spell the username correctly to activate a notification to that member)
How can I favourite a post?
Favourites are like bookmarks to help you quickly find a post you want to see again. You can favourite posts on the desktop or tablet version of the Forums.
To favourite a post:
- go to the post you want to favourite
- click the grey star next to the date.
To see all the posts you’ve favourited:
- click your username to go to your profile
- click ‘View all’ in the blue ‘My favourites’ box on the right.
How can I like a post?
Likes show your appreciation. To like a post:
- go to the post you like
- click the ‘thumbs up’ button at the bottom of the post.
You can click the number of likes to see who else has liked this post.
To see all the posts you’ve liked:
- click your username to go to your profile on the desktop of tablet version of the Forums
- scroll down to the heading ‘Posts I’ve liked’
If someone likes your post you’ll receive an email notification (unless you have opted out), and it will appear on your profile.
How can I report a post as inappropriate?
If you see something on a Forum post that you think breaks the Community guidelines:
On desktop or tablet:
- click ‘Report inappropriate content’ at the bottom of the post
- a moderator will receive the email and review and take action. You may not receive a response from the moderator, but they may email you to clarify.
On mobile:
- email team@saneforums.org
- Use ‘inappropriate content’ in the subject line of the email
- Include a link to the post in question
How can I report a post because I’m worried about a member?
Use ‘Report inappropriate content’ as outlined above.
A moderator will review the post. They may not get back to you individually, as they may need to take action for the safety of the member.
Moderators have a strict duty of care process that often takes place behind the scenes, so please do not be alarmed if you don’t hear back from a moderator.
You are not responsible to keep someone safe, so you have no obligation to respond to a member who states they are at risk. However, if you do feel you want to respond, the most helpful content to include is:
How can I print a post?
There’s a little printer figure next to the time and date on each post. Clicking it will take you to a version of the post that’s suitable for printing.
How can I see my recent activity on the Forums?
You can see all your Forum activity in one place:
- make sure you’re logged in on the desktop or tablet version of the Forums
- click your username
- scroll down past your private statistics to see posts your likes, posts and your activity feed.
How can I get technical help?
If you have any problems using the Forums, a great place to get support is on the Forums — ask your community!
If you have trouble accessing the service at all, contact us at team@saneforums.org. We're always happy to see how we can help.
For more Forums Guides, see:
Please note: SANE Forums are peer-to-peer support services. The information provided is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between a patient and their health care professionals.
They do not provide crisis support or counselling. If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs urgent help call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or in an emergency call 000.
